ARE YOU REALLY SAVED? WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA? WHAT ARE THE PROOFS?

In 1995 I had a near death experience following being burned in a gas explosion caused by a faulty heater in our home. Greater detail about that is given in the book, "The Ultimate Question." One critical point from that experience is that historically about 97.5% of the general population goes to hell when they die.  Given that professing Christians make up about 25% of the general population, it means that only approximately 10% of those are actually among the redeemed. So, on average, only 1 in 10 of those attending a given church will actually go to heaven, and no non-Christian will at all!

I had a glimpse of hell that showed me it is an incomparably terrible place that is to be avoided at all costs! This is entirely avoidable due to God's grace through faith in Christ and therefore all the more tragic. What really rankles me is that the institutional Christian church is supposed to be preparing people for eternity and is failing miserably at this.  (Perhaps that is why the early church primarily met in homes: Romans 16:5, I Corinthians16:19, Colossian 4:15, Philemon 1:2.) One of the central failures of the organized church is the widespread acceptance and promotion within the church of an evil lie from hell that all a person needs to do to be saved is pray the "sinner's prayer" and that "once saved always saved."

For example, in early 2014 I attended Lakewood Church in Houston to hear Joel Osteen preach in person. (With about 50,000 members, it was the largest single non-denominational congregation in the U.S. at the time.) The facilities were impressive and the attendance was huge.  Mr. Osteen was a persuasive and entertaining speaker and the music and other effects significantly enhanced the experience.  However, I came away saddened because the message of salvation was fatally compromised. After the service I tried to meet with Joel to tell him my thoughts, but due to the heavy security and large crowds around him there was no clear opportunity to just walk up and speak to him.  So, I wrote him a letter later that week.  In the letter I addressed the eight points that the Scriptures tell us are necessary for salvation:

THE CRITERIA

1. Belief in God (I Kings 8:33, Habakkuk 2:4, Luke 7:50)

2. Confession of sin (Leviticus 5:5, 26:40, James 5:16, 1 John 1:19)

3. Repentance of sin (Exodus 23:21, Acts 2:38, James 2:17, 2:22, 2:26)

4. Restitution for wrongs (Number 5:7, Matthew 5:22,23)

5. Forgiving others (Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:14,15, 18:35, Luke 6:37, 11:4, 2 Corinthians 2:10, Colossians 3:13)

6. Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21,22)

7. Taking communion (John 6:53-58)

8. Enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13)

To date I have not received an answer to that letter.

[If you have studied logic and language, it should be clear that necessary is different from sufficient.  Each of these points is necessary, but all eight of them are required to be sufficient - especially point 8. For example, a person professes Christ at one point in their life but renounces Him later is lost and even worse off than if they had never called on Him for salvation! (Hebrews 6:4-6) A typical comment on such a situation is "Well, they were never really saved." To this I answer, I cite the plain answer from the Maid of Orleans:

Question at Trial: “Do you know if you are in the grace of God?”

“If I am not, may God place me there; if I am, may God so keep me. I should be the saddest in all the world if I knew that I were not in the grace of God.” – Joan of Arc

That is, only God determines who is saved or not. However, He promised that all who call on the name of Christ will be saved (Romans 10:13); and those who deny Him will be damned (Matthew 10:33).  The logic seems clear to me.]

I do not intend to address every possible difference someone may have with this list, but as an example they might object that this is excessive because Christ said to the thief on the cross who called Him "Lord" "...Truly I say to you, Today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43  ESV. As read apart from any other context, it appears the second thief crucified with Christ received eternal salvation by a profession of faith alone, without any of the above required actions.  In the passage, the thief only did three things:

1. he rebuked the other thief for mocking Christ

2. he confessed his sin and the righteousness of his judgement

3. he acknowledged Christ as Savior and asked to be remembered in the Kingdom of Heaven

The other five points are not explicitly addressed.  It may be presumed he was paying for his crime by being crucified (4) and he maintained his hope until he died (8). That still leaves points 5, 6 and 7 open. That Christ assured him he would be in Paradise indicated He was satisfied with the thief's faith and intent. We do not know the thief's past, and he may have been baptized as most of the Israelites in that region were in the time of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:5, Mark 1:5). He may have broken bread with other believers at one of the feedings of the thousands (5,000: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-14) & 4,000: Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 8:1-9) or with the disciples of Christ.  We do not know any of this for certain given the bare facts above.  However, generally to interpret scripture I would first apply the nine canons of biblical interpretation as stated by Ivan Panin:

Canon 1. The Bible alone is the Final Authority for its own Data

Canon 1I. The Old Testament text adopted as the basis of discussion is that

of the Hebrew Masoretes, of the present Hebrew copies, of which the

Protestant Versions are translations.

Canon III. The present Hebrew Text to be firmly held to, and abandoned

only where a copyist's error is proved from the Bible itself; the correction,

moreover, to be made only from the Bible itself.

Canon IV. A clear Statement in one part of the Bible to be held to against

others not so clear in other parts. The light from the clear to be thrown on

the obscure, rather than the obscure to darken the light. A mere difficulty

is not to annul a certainty.

Canon V. The Terms of the original Bible Languages are to be strictly

Adhered to in Translation: Keeping specially to the Distinction between

Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers, and heeding the different Methods of

using Chronological Terms.

Canon VI. The Dictionary Meaning of the Terms used is to be strictly

Adhered to, and Departed from only when the ordinary Meaning is made

Impossible by other Established Facts. Canon VII. The Reconciliation of

what are apparently Discrepancies in the Bible Data must be along the

lines laid down in Canons.

Canon VII. The Reconciliation of what are apparently Discrepancies in

the Bible Data must be along the Lines laid down in Canons I-VI; and any

attempted Harmonisation on other lines stands Self-Condemned.

Canon Vlll. In the Solution of Bible Difficulties that which covers an

entire Class of Cases Stands as against those dealing with their individual

Cases separately. The Simple solution stands against the Complex.

Canon IX. In Matters Biblical the Notions of “Unlikely, Improbable, Hard

to Believe, Incredible, Inconceivable,” and their like, are not to be

Entertained so as to make the Bible Statements Void. Only what is

demonstrably Irrational, or declared in the Bible itself to be Impossible, is

to be allowed to Call in question Bible Statements.

In short, Canon IV applies.  What is clearly stated elsewhere in the scriptures is not voided by a less explicit passage. So, it may be presumed that the second thief met the minimum requirements for salvation as explicitly stated elsewhere, or Christ sovereignly waived the criteria that obviously could not be met due to circumstances beyond the man's control. It is the intent of the heart that ultimately matters and God (who knows our heart) is our ultimate judge.

That does not excuse others for compromising due to circumstances. In my NDE I saw the timeline of all people throughout history and saw clearly that most of them, including pastors, priests, regular church members and very religious or charitable people were going to hell in astonishingly large numbers!  This shocked and frightened me.  To me, in that divine encounter, Christ expressed deep sorrow about this too. None of them would have gone to hell if they had met God's requirements, which in simple terms is a loving relationship where they love selflessly and unconditionally and obey Him. 

We should also apply the scriptural principle the Apostle Peter wrote about of invoking the Holy Spirit to give us His intended meaning and  interpretation of any Scripture we want to understand. 

"...and we have the more established prophetic Word, in which you do well to take heed, as to a lamp shining in a murky place, until day dawns and the Light-bearing One rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that every prophecy of Scripture did not come into being of its own interpretation; for prophecy was not at any time borne by the will of man, but being borne along by the Holy Spirit, holy men of God spoke." II Peter 1:19-21 ESV

In my own studies, after asking for the help of Holy Spirt, I came to the above conclusions regarding salvation. So, I would expect anyone else being led by Holy Spirit to arrive at a similar understanding.

THE PROOFS

The bottom line is we need to know whether we are saved or not before we leave this world. It is far too late at that point to change things. So, how can we know if we have this ultimately important question answered correctly?  The scriptures state:

"The one believing and being baptized will be saved. And the one not believing will be condemned. And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: they will cast out demons in My name; they will speak new languages;  they will take up snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well." Mark 16:16-18 ESV

As a sensible precaution, I do not recommend handling venomous snakes or drinking poison to test or demonstrate your state of salvation. (If you are not saved, the consequences will be doubly tragic. If you are saved, there are safer, equally valid ways to prove the point.) Only one point is necessary to demonstrate the supernatural in your life, so speaking in new tongues, casting out demons or healing the sick in Christ's name is a good indicator of your condition. All three of those are quite involved subjects, so do not depend on a superficial experience with any of those for absolute confirmation. A personal prophesy from a validated prophetic minister is also an option; but one cannot prescribe what God may speak through them on any given occasion.

So, reader, are you in love with God? Do you love your fellow man? (Matthew 22:34-40) Can you say you meet all the criteria above?  Do the true signs of salvation manifest in your life?  If not, you may be deceived into thinking you are saved when you are really not.  This is the most important question for you to answer, so please get it right. I hope to see you in heaven some day, for both our sakes!

(1) From Ivan Panin's Bible Chronology, part I, page 2

MERRY CHRISTMAS! THOUGHTS ON "CHRISTMAS TREES"

When I was growing up some of the most memorable Christmases were the ones our family spent at my maternal grandparent's home in Willoughby, Ohio. There my grandparents had built a fine home on nine acres that included meadows, an orchard, a stand of maple trees (with a maple sugar shack!) a large garden, sheds full of interesting things and even a merry-go-round!  It was an ideal place for a grandchild to visit. 

While both were born American citizens, my grandmother was an ethnic German and my grandfather an ethnic Brit.  So a firm tradition in the family was to set up a "Tannenbaum" or "Christmas tree". There was a stand of pines near the front of the property where my grandfather would cut one of suitable size each year and my grandmother would decorate it with tinsel (some of it real antique tin!) and ornaments (some antique hand blown glass) that had been passed down in the family for generations.  There were even pictures in the family photo album of such trees lit up with wax candles ablaze with real (very dangerous) flames! As a child I was excited to awake on Christmas morning to find a huge pile of presents stashed under the tree like an offering, and search through the pile for those with my name on it. My mother told us stories about large family gatherings in her childhood where an uncle would dress like Santa Claus and visit the home with a sack of presents. Grandma would prepare a bountiful Christmas dinner for all. She called this "killing the fatted calf." Those were happy memories for me.

In 1975, the year after my grandfather died of cancer, we were visiting my grandmother at the beautiful house in Ohio.  There was a fresh snowfall on the ground and the scene was set for another traditional family Christmas. My grandmother handed me a bow saw and asked me to go outside and cut a tree like my grandfather did, then bring it back to the house. In the pine grove I found a tree of suitable size had grown from the stump of a tree my grandfather had cut years before. I felt bad about harming this particular tree twice, but all the others were far too large.  So, I cut it and dragged it back to the house.  I helped my grandmother set it up and decorate it. However my heart was heavy with the recent loss of my grandfather. Generally the mood in the household was not as festive as it had been in past years. 

In 1978 I gave my life to God and chose Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It was then that I began attending church regularly and studying the scriptures. I lacked a formal study plan, so I just started in Genesis and read through to the end, like I would any other book. As I read through the Old Testament, I came across numerous passages condemning idolatry, in particular Asherah worship. Later I went back and educated myself more thoroughly on the ancient subject of tree worship that was new to me. One passage that was particularly impressed on me was II Kings chapter 21.

"Manasseh Reigns in Judah

"Manasseh was a son of twelve years when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Hephzibah. And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the idolatries of the nations that Jehovah expelled from before the sons of Israel. And he built again the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and raised up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab the king of Israel, and worshiped all the host of the heavens, and served them. And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, In Jerusalem I will put My name. And he built altars for all the host of the heavens in the two courts of Jehovah's house. And he made his son to pass through the fire, used magic, and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spirit-knowers. He expanded to work the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger. And he set a graven image of the Asherah that he had made in the house of which Jehovah had said to David and to his son Solomon, In this house, and in Jerusalem, that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.  And I will not again make the feet of Israel wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they observe to do all that I commanded them, and to all the Law that My servant Moses commanded them. But they did not listen, and Manasseh caused them to be led astray above the nations that Jehovah had destroyed from before the sons of Israel. 

"Manasseh's Idolatry Denounced

"And Jehovah spoke by His servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh the king of Judah has done these abominations, doing more wickedly than all that the Amorites did before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing evil on Jerusalem and Judah, so that whoever hears of it, his two ears shall tingle. And I will stretch out over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and shall wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish (he wipes and turns it on its face).  And I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance, and give them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall be for a prey and for a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My eyes, and have provoked Me to anger from the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day. And also Manasseh has shed very much innocent blood, till he has filled Jerusalem from mouth to mouth; apart from his sin that he caused Judah to sin, to do evil in the eyes of Jehovah. And the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah?" II Kings 21:1-17 ESV

It was through this self study and prayer for wisdom that I connected the family tradition of the Tanenbaum with Asherah worship. Webster's Dictionary defines it as: "Definition of Asherah: a sacred wooden post, pole, or pillar that stood near the altar in various Canaanite high places and that symbolized the goddess Asherah." (1)When I realized the potential catastrophic consequences for having a "Christmas tree", I repented for what I and my family had been doing for generations and decided never to do it again. I researched the subject to be better informed and able to give an answer for my decision and warn others. 

One salient fact I learned was that the Tannenbaum comes from a Teutonic pagan tradition that was introduced to the British by the house of Windsor. Some sources credit Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, with introducing the Christmas tree into England in 1840. However, it was more likely Queen Charlotte, the German Lutheran wife of George III, who set up the first known English "Christmas tree" at Queen’s Lodge at Windsor in 1800. 

Over the years I have met with stiff opposition and strident criticism for refusing to have an Asherah in my home, especially from immediate family. The debate about "Christmas trees" still sputters along in social media without any major players taking a firm stance against it. I still wonder why nothing overtly catastrophic has apparently happened to our family over the generations of those who did have Christmas trees in their homes. I also have wondered why my particular household has suffered an unusual  level of hardships disproportionate relative to those other families I knew, despite being faithful to God's Word.  

I know in my heart of hearts that God is always right and the Scriptures are true. So, I conclude that my relative hardships are attacks from the devil to make me give up on matters of faith. His strategy is obviously to make me commit greater sins so I will be exposed to worse attacks from him. God is also allowing me to be tested so, when I have passed the tests, He can bless me with greater rewards.  For a catastrophe is not always when obvious bad things happen. It is also when great opportunities are missed too.(Luke 19:44)  These things only make me more confirmed in the decision I have made and kept for over 40 years. I believe God has a vast and lasting reward for my faithfulness, and I do not want to miss that for myself or my posterity.

In particular I hope for a promise from God like that in the book of Jeremiah, "...Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not have a man cut off from standing before Me all the days." Jeremiah 35:19b ESV

How about you reader?  What is more important to you? Continuing a pleasant but questionable family tradition, or honoring God and receiving a divine reward for that from Him?

(1) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Asherah

I AM REDEEMED

A challenge for the amateur lyricists

I used to ride the bus to school.  Occasionally on our bus route, someone would break the tedium by singing some catchy little ditty that repeated endlessly as the miles went by.  Later on in a college fellowship, we sang some simple, repetitive choruses that stuck in my mind.  One that I recall fondly was "I am Redeemed."  Even today as I drive along I sing it to myself and add new verses to make it last longer.  Finally,  It has become quite a tale.  So, I reproduce it here and challenge the reader to submit new verses.

I think it could make a fun game.  In a carload of people, they would take turns adding verses.  The criteria is that it has to roughly follow the same meter and approximate rhythm. The subject must always be something to do with faith or salvation. The theme should be consistent and the intensity of the subject should gradually escalate. Each participant would be allowed to use the chorus once if they can't think of anything immediately.  If they failed to come up with a new verse, repeated a previous verse or sang something that didn't rhyme well, they were out.  The last lyricist in the game wins!

Here's what I have so far:

I Am Redeemed

Opening verse and chorus

I am redeemed,
by the blood of the Lamb.
I am redeemed,
Oh! yes I am.
I am redeem by the blood of the Lamb,
filled with the Holy host I am.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Regular verses

Oh you can't get to heaven
by lying in bed.
No you can't get to heaven
by lying in bed.
You can't get to heaven by lying in bed
You must lift that lazy head!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by crawling around.
No you can't get to heaven
by crawling around.
You can't get to heaven by crawling around
Heaven's built on higher ground.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by taking a walk.
No you can't get to heaven
by taking a walk.
You can't get to heaven by taking a walk
That's just some silly talk.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
on a pogo stick.
No you can't get to heaven
on a pogo stick.
You can't get to heaven on a pogo stick
A pogo stick won't do the trick.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
on a roller skate.
No you can't get to heaven
on a roller skate.
You can't get to heaven on a roller skate.
You'll arrive there much to late.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by riding a bike.
No you can't get to heaven
by riding a bike.
You can't get to heaven by riding a bike.
Any more than taking a hike.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by riding a horse.
No you can't get to heaven
by riding a horse.
You can't get to heaven by riding a horse.
A horse don't know the way of course.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a fast go cart.
No you can't get to heaven
in a fast go cart.
You can't get to heaven in a fast go cart.
You must have Christ within your heart.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a city bus.
No you can't get to heaven
in a city bus.
You can't get to heaven in a city bus.
It's in God alone we trus'
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a taxi cab.
No you can't get to heaven
in a taxi cab..
You can't get to heaven in a taxi cab.
Only Christ can pay your tab.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a fancy car.
No you can't get to heaven
in a fancy car.
You can't get to heaven in a fancy car.
A fancy car won't go that far.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
No you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
You can't get to heaven in a moor boat.
That's way to far to float.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a submarine.
No you can't get to heaven
in a submarine.
You can't get to heaven in a submarine..
That's one thing'll never be seen.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!


Oh you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
No you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
You can't get to heaven in in a moor boat.
That's way to far to float.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in an aeroplane..
No you can't get to heaven
in a aeroplane..
You can't get to heaven in an aeroplane..
To try is just insane!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a rocket ship..
No you can't get to heaven
in a rocket ship..
You can't get to heaven in a rocket ship.
A rocket ship won't make that trip,
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Traditionally there's a couple more verses, but I don't know where this one would fit:

Oh you can't get to heaven
in powder and paint.
No you can't get to heaven
in powder and paint.
You can't get to heaven in in powder and paint.
God won't take you as you ain't. (and I cringe at bad grammar)
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Then there's just plain silly:

Oh you can't get to heaven
in dirty blue jeans.
No you can't get to heaven
in dirty blue jeans.
You can't get to heaven in dirty blue jeans.
Heaven has no washing machines!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

There's my favorite too:

Oh the Lord and I,
we both agree.
Oh the Lord and I,
we both agree.Oh the Lord and I,we both agree.
I love Him and He loves me!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

There's one like it about hating the devil, but I don't want to give that scoundrel any significant attention.

Finally, it concludes with:

And that's not all,
there's more besides.
And that's not all,
there's more besides.
And that's not all, there's more besides.

I've been to the river and baptized!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

If the reader isn't exhausted by this already, I challenge them to submit more (appropriate) verses to this collection.

All rights reserved.
Copyright 2015

TATTOOING, PIERCING & SCARIFICATION

The rest of the story…..

Tattoos and body piercing are fast becoming a leading industry in America today. Tattooing is the sixth fastest growing industry in the United States. It is profitable, popular and technically legal.  Why would there be objections to this form of artistic expression?

The history of tattoos goes very far back. Tattooed mummies from Europe, Asia and Africa dating back over 5,000 years have been discovered and documented. Today, in America anyone over 18 can receive a tattoo or piercing in a licensed establishment under hygienic conditions. Once a serious danger, the risk of infection from tattooing or piercing has been nearly eliminated by the introduction of sterile implements and media.

In fact, there are also now a variety of treatments available for removing once permanent tattoos.

Many of those who wear tattoos do so to honor family, loved ones, fallen comrades, make expression of faith and other positive sentiments. What’s wrong with that?

If you value your life, your eternal destiny, read on. There’s far more to it than art and sentiment. God, who made mankind and all creation, also gave us profound wisdom in the Bible. He loves us dearly and wants only the best for us. Therefore, we should pay attention to this ancient and pertinent warning from the Holy Scriptures:

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:28 ESV

God never does anything without a plan or a purpose, and tattoos and piercings are not part of such plans and purposes.

What could He be warning us about? If tattooing is medically safe and not such a great social stigma as it used to be, so where’s the harm?

There’s a spiritual side to this subject!

The ancient mummies were tattooed with marks meant to invoke the spirit world for blessings of health, protection, fertility and the like. Historic writings tell us that some ancient societies also used tattoos to mark slaves, convicts and outcasts.

Among pre-Christian pagans such as Polynesians, the tattooist was not merely an artist, but a shaman, a cultic priest. Tattoos were used not only as decorations or marks of status, but as spiritual entry points to the body. That is, the tattoo facilitated the entry of the spirits they worshiped to enter their bodies, and also to ward off those that they regarded as hostile. The Maori tribe of New Zealand considered tattoos living entities, the same demons they worshiped.

Piercing the skin with other objects besides the tattoo needle is also used for the same purpose. Primitive people used wood, bone and stone. In modern times plastic, metal and other materials are also used. Ritual scars serve the same purpose. In such cases, the skin is incised or burned to create permanent patterns or images of animals, people, deities or others things. An extreme practice is to pierce the ear lobes or lips, and greatly enlarge the hole by inserting progressively larger plugs. Piercing or bloodletting is closely associated with witchcraft. Witchcraft is basically using the very real forces of the spiritual world to control others and the material world around us. It is also wisely forbidden by God (Deut. 18:10).

A comprehensive study (Roberts, 2002) by Timothy Roberts, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Rochester concluded that tattooed youth were four times more likely to be sexually active and twice as likely abuse alcohol, illicit drugs, drop out of high school and engage in violent behavior. Another report (Raspa, 1990) by Robert Raspa, MD correlates tattooing with psychiatric conditions such as impulsiveness, low self-esteem, homosexual orientation, sadomasochism, bondage, fetishism, bisexuality, lesbianism, antisocial personality, personality disorders, schizophrenia, mania and bipolar disorder. Christian deliverance ministers report that tattoos are associated with demonization.

Apostasy (unbelief) and demonization is associated with tattoos because tattooing, piercing and ritual scarification are marks of authorship and ownership. 

“And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.” Genesis 1:27 LITV

In our natural state, we are identified as belonging to God because we are made in His image. Altering our form or appearance changes that identity and the default is ownership by God’s nemesis, the devil. For example, pagan priests were identifiable by their ritual scars (Zechariah 13:6). Married women are identifiable by pierced ears and nose (Ezekiel 16:16).

A man or unmarried woman who pierces their ears enter into a perverse marriage covenant with demonic entities. They become that entities’ bond slave for life (Deuteronomy 15:17)!

Moreover, in the book "I Looked and I Saw The Lord" by Annie Schisler, she gives repeated accounts of vision where she saw many redeemed saints in heaven who lacked their limbs.  While no explanation was given for their missing limbs, there is an obvious explanation. By tattooing those limbs, they dedicated them to a false god and forfeited them for eternity.  So, this infers that even Christians pay a grave price for this sin. How much worse the fate of the unsaved!

Regrets? Laser removal of tattoos is one of the fastest growing areas of dermatology. But removal is not enough and laser removal can increase the risk of skin cancer. The body of a person with tattoos, piercings or ritual scars is very likely defiled, which means demons have entered where the Spirit of God rightfully belongs. The demons seek your death and destruction in hell through sin and to desensitize you to the things of God. All the questionable benefits of these marks are not worth an eternity of torment in hell, for that is the real penalty of all sin.

To be free of defilement, it is helpful to pray  the Prayer Of Repentance And Cleansing:

“Heavenly father, I have sinned against You by defiling my body, the temple of Your Holy Spirit with tattoos, piercings or scars. I repent of this sin and forgive my ancestors for doing the same. Please remove this stain from my soul through the cleansing blood of Christ whom I believe died for my sins. Put out of me every demon that entered me through these errors. Specifically I permanently order out of me demons of witchcraft, perversion, familiar spirits, bondage, rebellion, insanity, whoredom and death. Open my spiritual senses to perceive all that these have hidden from me. Send your angels to take them away forever and fill me with Your Holy Spirit all my days. Amen.”

Remove all piercings and implants. Have two or more Spirit-filled Christians pray with you and anoint the tattoo/piercing hole/scar with oil as a symbol of cleansing and sanctification. Have the mark removed or at least cover it in public. Resolve not to do it again and warn other about this.  For more information, read, What’s Behind the Ink? by William Sudduth.

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THE EIGHT (Perhaps nine) THINGS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION

By Karl Falken

In a significant fraction of the churches I have visited and according to the personal beliefs of numerous persons I am acquainted with, there's a dangerous error commonly held that eternal salvation is as easy as reciting a creed or saying what's often termed the "sinner's prayer." I can say from personal experience, this is simply not true.  For in 1995 I had a near death experience where, though by church standards I was an above average Christian, I found myself as lost as any unbeliever. In short, any sin that is not dealt with thoroughly in this life is sufficient to condemn even "good" people to separation from God and eternal torment of an indescribable nature.

There are actually eight necessary points any individual must meet to be "saved" or go to heaven when one dies or is translated like Enoch or Elijah were.  These are:

1. Belief in God (I Kings 8:33, Habakkuk 2:4, Luke 7:50)

 The whole reason we are here is to learn to love God with all our hearts.  That presupposes we beleive in God. There are no athiests or agnostics in heaven. But while this is necessary, it is not sufficient.  For even the demons believe in God, but they can never be saved. (James 2:9)

 The next requirement is that we must admit we are sinners.  This is not just mental assent, but a vocal confession to an audience that does not just include God.

2.     Confession of sin (Leviticus 5:5, 26:40, James 5:16, 1 John 1:19,)



Once we have admitted our guilt to ourselves, to God and to those we have sinned against, we must stop sinning.


3.     Repentance of sin (Exodus 23:21, Acts 2:38, James 2:17, 2:22, 2:26)




Sin hurts others.  We must do all we can to repair the damage.  If it's more than we are capable of to set everything right, then we must do so to the fullest limit of our capacity to do so.  Even to all our material possessions.

4.     Restitution for wrongs (Number 5:7, Matthew 5:22,23)

The golden rule applies well in nearly every situation.  If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive.  God will not forgive us unless we forgive others.  However, forgiveness is part of a process whereby the other parties must also ask for it.  It does not have to be extended where there is no repentance or restitution, though it can be granted unconditionally and this is the best and safest form of forgiveness. Forgiveness may also be retracted in the case of those who backslide or do not fulfill a promise of restitution. But if this is practiced, it must be done with great care.

5.     Forgiving others (Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:14,15, 18:35, Luke 6:37, 11:4, 2 Corinthians 2:10, Colossians 3:13

There must also be a public identification with Christ's atonement, that is by baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and might make exceptions for special cases where circumstances preclude this as an option (such as a deathbed confession or a conversion while incarcerated). However, it's best to do this properly at the first opportunity.  Taking a chance with such an important matters is extremely unwise.

6.     Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21,22)

Christ plainly states that "breaking bread" or taking communion was a prerequistie for being resurrected to everlasting life. In theory a person might exist in heaven as a disembodied spirit.  However, why risk falling short?  It's certainly unwise to give up the option to have an immortal body when it's part of God's master plan.

7.     Taking communion (John 6:53-58)


Lastly, all of this counts for nothing if at some point a person recants or returns to a life of disobedience to God.

8.     Enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13)

In a final note: inviting Christ into one’s heart may not be strictly required for salvation, but it is the means by which we are empowered to do the miraculous works of God.  It is also reported in the book Heaven is for Real, that no one will be given a resurrected body witout meeting this condition.  So obviously it is improtant to God, so it follows that it should be important to us too.


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ADVENTURES IN BIOFUEL

When I was growing up my mother taught me to cook.  And one thing she taught me was to pour off the leftover cooking grease into a small container on the stove.  When the container was full, she would dump it into the trash. My mother explained to me that the grease wasn't good for cooking with and would clog the drain if it went into the sink when washing the pots and pans. This seemed like good advice, but it also seemed wasteful to me.  'Surely,' I thought, 'the grease must be useful for something.' And the effort to collect it seemed lost too.

So, after I began cooking on my own, I emulated my mother for awhile. However, my engineering background made me very averse to waste. It irked me to throw away the grease and expend the effort to collect it with no benefit. Then it dawned on me that perhaps if the grease were filtered, it would be good for something.  So, I collected about a half a gallon of grease, melted it on the stove top and filtered it through some coffee filters into a large container.  I ended up with about 5 or six pounds of lard.  It was tinted beige compared to white store-bought lard, but looked OK for cooking with. I decided to try deep frying some home-fries in it and see how they turned out.  

The fries looked fine and smelled OK, but they tasted a bit greasy and meaty. It was not a great success. In an emergency this would do, but there was no grand shortage of cooking oil to justify this sort of economy. The idea of making soap out of the grease didn't appeal to me either.  I doubted the real cleansing power of something made from used cooking grease.

What else could I do? I searched the internet for ideas.  Biofuel!

That seemed simple enough. Biodiesel could be made by heating the grease to about 130 degrees F, and adding a mixture of methanol and lye called methoxide to the liquid grease.  In a few hours they would separate into biodiesel and glycerine.

I decided to run three trials:

1. with store bought methanol and lye
2. with store bought methanol and home made lye, and
3. with home made methanol and home made lye

So, I collected about 1.5 gallons of grease to make half gallon batches of each. This took a few months of collecting cooking grease.

To calculate the amount of lye needed, it was necessary to determine the pH of the grease/methanol mixture.  The pH of grease cannot be read directly with a common pH meter.  So I mixed up a small batch of 100 ml:  80% grease and 20% methanol. I bought the methanol from a local auto parts store that sold it as a fuel additive. (These are the proportions commonly used for making biodiesel.) Then I titrated it with a 10% lye solution. As an indicator, I used some turmeric spice that was on hand. In an acidic solution, turmeric maintains its pale yellow color.  When the solution goes basic, it turns a reddish color.  I had a graduated syringe left over from vaccinating our dog, and used it to measure out the volume of 10% lye solution necessary to titrate the grease/methanol mixture.

It went something like this:

80 ml hot grease + 20 ml methanol = 100 ml of test solution

10 grams lye + 90 grams (9 ml) water = 10% lye solution

1 g turmeric as indicator

BIODIESEL BATCH NO. 1

it took 2.5 ml 10% lye solution to neutralize the test solution

(2.5 ml)*(1g lye/ml)*(2000 ml biodeisel-methoxide mixture)/(100ml sample BM mix) => 50g lye

I added 60g lye to the methanol just to be sure there was enough for a complete reaction since rarely do 100% of the chemicals in a mixture react. When I added the commercial lye to the methanol I was surprised to see aluminum shavings mixed in with the lye. Apparently the manufacturer added these to make the lye foam when it was poured into a clogged sink pipe.  That may be good for unclogging pipes, but it didn't fit my recipe for bio-fuel.  So I had to quickly filter out the aluminum chips before they dissolved in the methoxide. To do this, I put a coffee filter in a funnel, and poured the mixture into another container. (empty spaghetti sauce bottles turned out to be handy for this.)

The first batch used 8 cups grease and 2 cups methoxide in a half-gallon glass jar.  Before adding the methoxide, I heated the grease up to 130 deg F, checking the temperature with a cooking thermometer. In a well ventilated area, gloved, and with safety goggles on, I slowly added the methoxide to the warm grease and stirred it with a stainless steel spoon. The reaction produced about 7 cups biodiesel and 3 cups glycerine.

These had effectively separated after about three hours when I left the mixture to cool. To be sure of complete separation, I left the batch to sit overnight. The biodiesel on top was a clear amber and the glycerine (which sank to the bottom) was a dark, opaque brown. After they had fully separated, I poured off the biodiesel and "washed" it by adding a cup of clean tap water and shaking the mixture vigorously.  The mixture turned a murky yellow. I let it sit overnight and most of the water settle out.  The water separated out on the bottom and turned milky with soap. The washed biodiesel remained a murky yellow color. It appears not all the water separated out. Then I decanted the biodiesel into a separate container.

The final test came when I looked for a way to actually use the biodiesel. I'd read that it could be used directly in a diesel engine, or mixed 3:1 gasoline/biodiesel and used in a gasoline burning engine. However, I don't own a device with a diesel engine, and a tax must be paid to the federal government before using home made fuel in a motor vehicle on public roads.

So, I decided to try it out in some other device.  I chose the lawn mower.  Our old HRS21 is due for retirement, so if the experiment damaged the engine, no great loss. Just to be sure it still ran, I warmed it up on straight gasoline before the trial.

The fuel mixture used was one cup biodiesel to three cups premium gasoline. There appeared to be some sediment in the mixture - perhaps a precipitate from mixing the two fuels.  So, I filtered the mixture through a coffee filter before adding to the fuel tank on the lawn mower. Finally the great moment, years in the making, was at hand.  Would it run?

The warmed up mower cranked smoothly and ran on the first pull of the cord. It seemed underpowered, so I tweaked the choke until I found the optimal setting. Then I began cutting grass!  The mower seemed under powered and stalled frequently. So I stopped the engine, sharpened the blade (which was dull) and resumed cutting.  This helped, but the engine still knocked or stalled in the areas of tall, thick grass.

I ran the tank dry cutting the lawn and refilled it again with the same mixture.  The second time I ran the mower it appeared to run nearly full power.  The reason for this was not apparent.  Though I have heard claims that the soap residue in the biodiesel has an added benefit of cleaning out the carburetor and engine.  Perhaps this improved the performance. I'm not sure. My long experience mowing with this mower indicated that the trial fuel mixture delivers less power than straight gasoline.  But, in the absence of a handy dynamometer, I can only guess at the difference.  My best guess would be that the engine Hp is reduced about 10-15% with the biodiesel/gasoline mixture. With a 5 Hp engine it is certainly adequate for cutting the grass though. 

SAMPLES: L TO R: BIODIESEL / FUEL MIX / GASOLINE

Next, I tried mixing a batch of fuel with home made lye.  I poured water through a 5 gallon bucket filled with ashes from out trash burning pit.  This bucket had several small holes drilled in the bottom and it drained into another 5 gallon bucket below. About 10 gallons of filtrate resulted from one wheelbarrow load of ashes (approximately 50 lbs). Boiled down, they yielded about 150g of a yellow-brown precipitate.  Although I was able to use it to titrate a sample solution of the next batch of biodiesel, when I added 55g of the home-made lye, the methoxide and grease mixture did not react to produce bio-fuel.  So, the second experiment was a failure.

I still need to build a device to destructively distill wood to make my own methanol. so the third trial will have to come later. 

HOME MADE LYE

So, today I have the satisfaction of finally finding a good use for waste cooking grease. In a small way I've reduced my dependance on fossil fuels and also cut out a small portion of the household waste stream. At least as importantly, I have made a small but significant step towards independence from the major oil corporations that exploit the environment, corrupt our government, cheat indigenous people out of their mineral rights and financially support dictators and militant religionists with their indiscriminate policies.  God helping me, I hope to advance this small beginning and someday be fully independent for my fuel needs!

In the meantime, I need to figure out what to do with the left over glycerine.  Soap perhaps?  I need to look into some kind of distilling apparatus before I'll use that for soap. I've read that the lye can be recovered too.  That sounds like a thing to look into.

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APPRECIATE CHICK-FIL-A DAY

Initially there was some confusion about the event when former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's call to celebrate "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" first went out.  He said "Wednesday," which could have been 7/25 or 8/1.  I went to both and also checked things out on the "counter-protest" day.  I also texted invitations to about 50 friends and family, and invited another 60 or so on the Facebook page dedicated to the event. When I checked, about 140,000 had pledged to go and another 1.1 million had been invited. I heard on the news that the page received over 20 million hits.

Huckabee was clearly motivated by the smear campaign against Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy. In an interview with the Baptist Press Cathy affirmed his company's stance on same-sex marriage and donations to anti-gay groups.

"We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that…We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Cathy further elaborated on his viewpoints.

"I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”

Governor Huckabee rightly said that Dan Cathy was being "smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry on the left."

"No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we’re considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant…"

Various personalities, including some prominent politicians from Washington, Chicago and Boston denounced Cathy's stance and some even went so far as to say they'd oppose establishment of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in their city.  (One later recanted after a popular outcry against this statement.) What would be the public reaction if one of these banned Amazon, Coke or Home Depot from their city for supporting the perversion of marriage homosexuals are trying to force on this nation? (Maybe God will have a say in this! Remember how the tornado in Joplin last year hit Home Depot and missed Lowes?)

While all that was going on in the nation at large, I decided to see how things were going in the booming micropolis of Longview in the piney woods of East Texas.  Normally I prefer burgers, but a chicken salad would be a healthy change for me.

I arrived late in the evening and had to park in the nearby Wal-Mart parking lot because all three parking lots at the store on Loop 281 were full.  The drive through line wound completely around the building and out onto 4th Street!

Getting closer, I looked through the windows and saw that the building appeared packed.  As I entered, I passed a man wearing a fire department shirt.  I asked him, "Excuse me sir, are there any fire codes being violated here?"  

He just smiled at me and kept on walking.

Inside I was struck by both the density of the crowds and the noise.  It wasn't the rough, loud noise of a sports crowd, but a loud, happy, celebratory noise like a party.  People of all ages wound in double lines from the counter to the doors and beyond.

At the counters, busy Chick-fil-A employees were taking and filling orders.  It was a little slower than normal, so people had to wait for their orders.  These stood to one side an waited for their names to be called.  When a name was called out the customer stepped forward to the applause and shouts of those nearby. A few seemed a bit embarrassed by the commotion, but most went along with the exuberance.

It was clearly a historic moment and I was happy to be part of it.

When my turn came I ordered a salad and waited for my to be served.  

During the wait in line, I had the opportunity to talk with some of my fellow Chick-fil-A supporters.  One was the youth pastor of the First Baptist Church of Overton. Though the church is 25 miles away, he didn't mind coming all the way to order just ice cream.  He explained with a smile, "My daughter likes the ice cream."

There were also several teenagers ahead of me in line.  Emily, 16, explained that she was from the 1st Assembly of God in Longview.  They come here each week after their regular midweek service.

It just amazed me that despite record crowds, the restaurant didn't run out of food, even late in the day. Though the firm kept a low profile about the event, it appears they did plan well for it. Good management all around!

I was glad to do my part.  Besides, the salad tasted good! :)

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Epilogue: I went by on the day the opposition had called for a counter protest.  It looked quiet and normal to me. Need more be said?